1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to payout tubes for guiding filamentary material through a payout hole extending from the outer wind to the inner wind of a coil of filamentary material wound in a FIG. 8 wind, and in particular to such payout tubes made from corrugated fiber or plastic material and which have an oval, diamond, elliptical or round shape with an oversized opening to accommodate CAT 5, CAT 6 and CAT 7 cables for kinkless unwinding from the inner coil to the outer coil of the wound material. The invention is also useful in improving the payout of filamentary material other than CAT 5, CAT 6 and CAT 7. i.e. all filamentary material.
According to the invention, the payout tubes are made of molded plastic, molded paper pulp or made of corrugated fiberboard.
2. Related Art
Payout tubes for performing the function of guiding filamentary material through payout holes in wound coils are known to the art. The structure of such payout tubes is represented by the following patents all of which are assigned to the same assignee as the present application, and wherein:
(1) U.S. Pat. No. 4,274,607 entitled xe2x80x9cGuide Device for Use in Elongate Filament Dispensing Package and the Likexe2x80x9d discloses a tubular guide device inserted radially into a payout hole in a wound coil and through a hole in a carton containing the wound coil and includes means for securing the guide device to the carton.
(2) U.S. Pat. No. 4,367,853 and entitled xe2x80x9cGuide and Support Members for Unwinding Flexible Material from a Wound Packagexe2x80x9d discloses specially shaped cones adapted to extend into the inner opening of the payout tube to prevent tangles and birdnesting as the filamentary material is unwound from the coil.
(3) U.S. Pat. No. 4,057,203 entitled xe2x80x9cPackage of Flexible Material with Oval Payout Tubexe2x80x9d discloses an oval shaped payout tube that is inserted in the normal diamond-shaped payout hole of the wound coil.
(4) U.S. Pat. No. 4,022,399 entitled xe2x80x9cScrew-in Tube with Breakable Tabs for Coil of Flexible Material with Inner End Payoutxe2x80x9d discloses a payout tube with spaced flanges for engaging the wall of the container retaining the wound coil and with the opposite end of the payout tube from the flanges being inserted into the radial payout hole of the wound coil.
(5) U.S. Pat. No. 3,985,315 entitled xe2x80x9cPackage of Flexible Material for Twistless Payout with Wide Funnel Guidexe2x80x9d discloses the outer end of the payout tube shaped as a funnel.
Notwithstanding the aforementioned progess in the state of the art of payout tubes, the advances and development in wire cable has generated a need for new types of payout tubes to enable the proper twistless payout of wound wire cable from the inner wind to the outer wind and through a radial opening between the inner and outer windings (known in the trade as the REELEX system). In particular, the inherent residual twist characteristics of CAT 5, CAT 6 and CAT 7 cables require a much larger payout hole and payout tube to avoid kinking and interference with payout of the cable when wound in a figure 8 configuration and with a payout hole extending from the inner wind to the outer wind of the winding.
Furthermore, the present invention is related to U.S. Pat. No. 5,979,812 as noted above. The assignee has designated the new winding system as a REELEX II package and the payout tubes in accordance with the present invention form part of the new REELEX II package.
In accordance with the REELEX II package many new products may be used with the assignee""s patented and licensed REELEX system. Products which had been considered too stiff, too flexible, too hard, too soft, too easily damaged, too prone to tangling, too large, or too small for REELEX packaging will work well in the REELEX II package. For example, single conductors, ultra-flexible cable and fiber optic cable are now all usable with REELEX II packaging. The new REELEX II package also significantly improves cold weather payout performance of many cable constructions.
With the use of corrugated paper board or paper pulp payout tubes in lieu of plastic payout tubes both the container and the payout tube are recyclable and thus the REELEX II corrugated paperboard cable package will satisfy the stringent waste reduction requirements of today""s job sites and European xe2x80x9cgreenxe2x80x9d packaging regulations.
Alternatively, the plastic tubes of the present invention may be used in the REELEX II package where such use is desired, such as with stiff, robust wire cables that would tend to damage corrugated paper materials.
It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide in a package of wound filamentary material of the type specified herein, a payout tube that is made of corrugated paper product, paper pulp or plastic.
It is a primary feature of the present invention that the payout tube is formed of corrugated paper as is the carton containing the wound coil.
It is an advantage of the present invention that the corrugated paper tube and the corrugated paper carton are recyclable.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an enlarged payout tube that engages with an enlarged payout hole to provide payout of wound flexible material having unusually stiff, flexible, hard, soft, prone to tangling, large or small characteristics.
It is another feature of the payout tube of the present invention that an enlarged payout tube provides kinkless and tangle-free unwinding of filamentary material from a wound package.
It is a further advantage of the payout tube of the present invention that wound flexible material having unusually stiff, flexible, hard, soft, prone to tangling, large or small characteristics may be unwound without tangling or kinking.